ONE of the Cynon Valley’s busiest train stations could soon lose its ticket office, according to a transport union report.

Aberdare train station is one of 23 offices across Wales to be affected by proposed changes, which would see officials being replaced by more self-service ticket machines.

More than half of Wales’ railway ticket offices could be closed after a recommendation was found in the small print of a Westminster report detailing how to achieve savings in the railway industry.

The proposal, which identifies 23 ticket offices in Wales which could be shut, was found “buried” in a government-commissioned report by a transport union.

Union leaders have claimed the proposals could lead to problems with the safety of passengers.

David Sidebottom, for Passenger Focus Wales, feared any closure of ticket offices could put commuters off travelling by train.

He said: “Ticket vending machines offer at best a second-rate service – not all machines sell the full range of tickets to all destinations, or any tickets at all to some destinations.

“When we asked what would make passengers feel safer when travelling on the railway, the message from them was clear: increase the presence of visible staff.

“The closure of ticket offices will make passengers feel less safe and put them off from travelling by train.”

Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood, who represents the South Wales Central region in the Assembly, said: “It could well be a false economy to close the smaller ticket offices on the rail network as it could cause problems further down the rail line for the larger stations.

“Customers will lose the ability to seek advice and perhaps even to pay by card if the ticket machines do not accept cash like the ones proposed by London Midland.

“Furthermore, tickets bought from machines tend to be more expensive.

“This is something that will adversely affect elderly passengers in particular.

“Public transport should be made more attractive and not be a hassle. This news comes after we were told last month that fares will rise by 25% over the next three years.

“In Wales, the decision to close these ticket offices will fall to the Welsh Government and I hope the needs of passengers and rail workers will be considered fully.”

The proposals have sparked a mixture of positive and negative comments from passengers on the Leader’s Facebook page.

Robert Nicholas, a member of the Leader group, said: “I thought they wanted to create jobs, not make more people unemployed.

“It’s not good enough, Mr Cameron – it’s time you lost your job.”

But Deborah Richards argues: “How many people really use the ticket offices?

“Most buy the tickets on the train with the staff on board.”

If closures went ahead it would more than halve the number of ticket offices in Wales – which currently stands at 40 – as well as culling ticket office jobs. Overall one in four ticket offices in Wales and England could close.

The information was uncovered by the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) from a lengthy report by former Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Sir Roy McNulty.